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THE USE OF WATER REDUCING ADDITIVES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ECOLOGICAL AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE MATERIALS
Get PDFThe decreasing amount of the world\u27s water supply is a significant issue nowadays. Global warming is one of the key factors contributing to the increasing loss of water supplies, but wasteful water usage for domestic and industrial use is also a major factor. The water consumption reduction by using proper additives is a technique to reduce high water consumption in the construction sector. Sulphonated melamine formaldehyde, sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde, modified lignosulphonates and polycarboxylate derivatives are examples of additives providing this feature. Condensed polymers are the basis for producing these additives. Their action mechanism consists in the de-flocculation of the cement granules and improving the workability of freshly mixed concrete. The water reduction potency of polycarboxylate derivatives is substantially higher than that of other additives. In the same time, the use of modified lignosulphonates also solves the problem of associated environmental pollution, being a by-product from the wood pulp processing by the sulfite process. Details about water consumption reducing additives will be presented in this paper based on literature review and on the author’s own experience: the preparation methods, chemical composition and properties of the obtained building materials
REDUCING THE CARBON DIOXIDE FOOTPRINT OF INORGANIC BINDERS INDUSTRY
Get PDFReducing the carbon footprint is a strategic objective established for environmental protection the European Union. It is proposed that Europe be climate neutral until 2050. This objective can also be achieved in Romania, if the large energy-consuming industries, that produce inorganic binders (cement, lime, plaster), implement the best available techniques. These techniques must ensure climate neutrality throughout the value chain of construction materials, such as: (1) reducing direct and indirect CO2 emissions; (2) increasing the use of alternative material and energy resources; (3) developing products with a reduced carbon footprint; (4) contributing to society\u27s adaptation and combating climate change; (5) carbon capture, usage and storage. Partial substitution of the natural fuels with the alternative fuel and energy resources from sorted industrial and municipal waste can be promising techniques for the reducing of the carbon footprint. Thus, in the combustion process the following wastes can be used: industrial waste (oil tankers, used tires, non-recyclable packaging), non-recyclable municipal waste (wood, paper, plastic, textile, biomass, etc.), agricultural wastes, etc. This paper presents a case study regarding the reduction of the carbon dioxide footprint by using alternative resources such as tires waste and in the cement manufacturing at Tașca Cement Plant from Neamț country (Romania). It has been proven that the use of these resources leads to sustainable benefits related to the partial conservation of non-renewable energy and material resources, as well as to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The measurements CO2 content at the chimney of the clinker showed a decrease between 0.4 % to 3 %. This proves that the introduction of slag at the cold area of the kiln has a positive effect on the reduction of CO2 emissions and implicitly over the environment
REMOTE MONITORING OF ENERGY-AUTONOMOUS CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS
Get PDFConstructed Wetlands systems (CW) are nature-based and sustainable technology for treating wastewater, contributing to the management and protection of freshwater resources. Moreover, CW can contribute to valorizing waste materials, producing reclaimed water for diverse applications, and producing plant biomass that can be material and energetically valorized. Because CW efficiency depends on several mechanisms such as physical, chemical, and biological, its real-time monitoring is essential to provide a better use of this technology. This work describes a smart framework for monitoring CW based on IoT devices and sensors, and data science tools providing real-time processing of gathered water quality parameters and environmental variables. Furthermore, the framework manages renewable energy sources to provide the required energy for CW operation and monitoring. Data collected from the sensor network show significant daily variations in water quality parameters. The future processing of these data can provide the development of models to improve the efficiency of the CW
NEW TRENDS IN THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK MONETARY POLICY
Get PDFThis paper is devoted to the European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy, which has undergone significant changes since it was introduced on January 1, 1999. A special focus of the paper is the period from the 2007-2008 global financial crisis until now. With the outbreak of the global financial crisis, the conventional (standard, traditional) monetary policy of the ECB and other world’s leading central banks began to lose its effectiveness. The unconventional course of monetary policy was undertaken mainly to restore the normal functioning of financial markets and financial intermediation in both developed and developing countries after the severe shocks during the global financial crisis. However, in the period following the world financial crisis, a new unprecedented global crisis event occurred – the COVID-19 pandemic. The monetary policy of the ECB and the other leading global central banks continued its unconventional course. The non-standard monetary measures are aimed at countering heightened risks during the acute economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In relation to this the main new trends in the ECB monetary policy that are examined in the paper are the transition from zero and negative key policy nominal interest rates to positive nominal interest rates, and the process of normalization of the ECB monetary policy, i.e. limiting and removing some unconventional monetary measures
SCHOOL READINESS IN THE ASPECTS OF MOVEMENT, LEARNING AND BEHA VIOUR
Get PDFThe number of children with special educational needs (SEN) who learn in inclusive education is increasing year by year in Hungary, and the number of children with learning, attention and behavioural difficulties/disorders is the largest problems between them (more than 70% of all SEN students in our country). We know that motor skills and behavioural functions are important factors in school readiness. So the aim of our study was to assess the risk of movement problems, learning difficulties and emotional/behavioural problems in children who will start compulsory schooling in the school year of 2022-2023 in Eger (n=199). To research this topic we used MSSST screening test and SDQ questionnaire (version for teachers to children between 4-17 years). According to our results 47 of 199 (24% of the sample), typically developing children showed risk for learning problems. Almost 30% of the sample showed motor, 36% emotional/behavioural problems before school beginning. Most of children in the sample had problems in pro-social behaviour, like adaptability, empathy and/or helping others (36%) and showed hyperactive patterns (29%). We found that children who had risk for learning problems (47 children in the sample), 30 showed problems with their behavioural and emotion, too (p=0.00; Cramer\u27s V=0.320), while of the 72, who had at risk of emotional/behavioural problems, 30 between them were classified as at-risk of learning problems in the school. Our conclusion is that a lot of children have motor and emotional/behavioural problems in early childhood yet. Children, who have at risk of learning difficulties are more likely to show atypical behaviour patterns, but conversely it is not true. So as we see, cognitive weakness more often go hand in hand with emotional-behavioural problems, but children with emotional-behavioural problems not necessarily have learning problems
USER EXPERIENCE AND ACCEPTANCE REGARDINGS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES COLLABORATING WITH ROBOTS IN INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT
Get PDFThis paper addresses acceptance and usability of human-robot-collaboration (HRC) for individuals conducted in two experiments. In the first experiment, the control group was composed of people without disabilities and the test group was formed out of people with disabilities employed in sheltered workshops. In the second experiment, the control group was composed of people with a technical background, e.g., engineers, and the test group was formed out of people without a technical background, e.g., social workers. Both experiments compare HRC approaches between the control group and the test group, and the recording was performed using the scientific models UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology), USUS (Usability, Social acceptance, User experience and Societal impact) and SUS (System Usability Scale). The evaluation of the experiments brought several interesting findings to light. One of the first experiment, e.g., is the test group’s higher level of technology acceptance after conducting the experiment than before. An example of the second experiment is the raise in expected performance of the test group after the modification task was done, what reflects a higher degree of which the test persons believe that using the system will help them to attain gains in job performance. Both experiments are listed and discussed. As a conclusion, it can be summarized that Cobots can be applied in sheltered workshops and modern control systems can be implemented and controlled by the supervisors. The new way of working collaboratively is generally welcomed
MACHINES AND GARDENS IN HBO’S WESTWORLD
Get PDFIs the American West ‘the Wonderland of the World?’ HBO’s Westworld (2016) suggests that it is for a variety of reasons. Modeled after the American (wild) West, Westworld is a futuristic amusement park populated by humanoid androids. They are designed to serve the human guests of the park but are unable to fatally harm them, despite the predominantly violent delights in which the guests indulge throughout their stays. In the show, an eternally returning train conveys both human and android passengers toward the next phase of evolution and arrives at the problem of determinism and free will. In response to this problem, Westworld offers difference—the difference of another species, of a machine in the rich garden of humanity, or rather of a garden as and in the machine that shapes land and life not from the past but from the future
PICTOGRAMS: A VISUAL SEMIOTIC “PLAYGROUND” FOR CHILDREN
Get PDFThe new generations of gaze, modern children, are growing up in the context of a society dominated by the title "visual culture". Therefore, visual literacy must be present in the educational landscape both as an object of study and as a means of learning. Through training and acquiring skills in analyzing, understanding, and producing visual texts, children will become visually literate, that is, they will have developed basic visual literacy skills in order not just to look but to learn to see. In the context of the recognition of the educational and pedagogical potential of the wordless book, the proliferation of scientific articles is evident, pointing out its usefulness not only as a tool for supervisory and teaching material, but also the use of the genre as a tool for the development of visual literacy. In this paper we will focus on the works of Sonia Chaine and Adrien Pichelin, specifically in those that are retelling classic fairytales through the encoding of visual symbols. The first part of the paper examines the ways in which a sequence of encoding visual symbols can create an effective narrative and the second explores the “portrait” of the child-reader that is implied in the above books. From our results we conclude that the reader is considered as an active participant in the process of meaning-making. This means that the reader plays a crucial role in interpreting the signs and symbols presented in the visual texts, and that their understanding is shaped by the reader’s qualifications, experiences, cultural background, and perspective. This approach emphasizes that visual meaning is not fixed but is created by the interactions between the visual text, the reader, and the context
A SHORT ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICATION(S) OF INTELLIGENT AGENTS IN COMPUTER GAMES
Get PDFThe study of artificial intelligence techniques quickly moved to computer games, a sector in which they are of enormous practical utility. Artificial intelligence has advanced significantly in the last five decades. The concept of intelligent agents provides a crucial theoretical framework to compare numerous diverse methods to the smart, logical conduct of computer-controlled characters in games. Computer games represent one of the best environments for artificial intelligence research as they are typically designed to be played multiple times by many players and can thus be studied. Furthermore, advances in computer hardware have allowed game developers to create increasingly complex and engaging games that have forced computer scientists to produce even more creative solutions to complex problems. Artificial intelligence techniques are often used to make computer games more exciting and entertaining by providing the designers with the tools they need to create interactive characters capable of responding to the player\u27s actions. We can achieve behavior that resembles that of a human player, which is also preferred in games, by combining rationality with some restrictions on our agents\u27 skills. In addition, we can simulate behaviors observed in humans during social interaction between individuals or groups. In this paper we interpret, analyze, and bring a simple case study for using intelligent agents for computer games. From an interpretative literature review and a case study approach, we concluded that intelligent agents could improve the gameplay experience, gain insight into Artificial Intelligence behavior, and increase game difficulty
CLOUD TYPE CLASSIFICATION IN GROUND-BASED SKY IMAGES WITH DEEP LEARNING
Get PDFClouds cover more than half of the Earth\u27s surface and are the subject of intense research in climate modeling, weather forecasting, meteorology, solar energy research, and satellite communications. Determination of cloud types and characteristics is of great importance in developing and applying solar radiation forecasting models. Therefore, classifying clouds into different categories according to their optical properties is essential for developing solar radiation forecasting algorithms. In this study, we have tried to develop a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective solution for cloud classification. In this context, a deep-learning CNN model that can classify six different cloud types is developed, and its performance and applicability are examined. The SWIMCAT-EXT dataset, available for research activities, is used for training and testing the model. The experimental results show that the proposed CNN model can successfully classify cloud types and can be integrated into the solar radiation forecasting process